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Galiev, 19, helped lead the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior League to its first Memorial Cup last season, setting career highs in goals (37) and points (65) during the regular season. He notched a goal and 2 assists in four Memorial Cup games and ranked fifth in the QMJHL playoffs with 27 points. He also was third with 17 assists and tied for sixth with 10 goals during Saint John's playoff run.

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"I'm not really going to rush anything, we still have a lot of time. My goal is to be ready for the opening regular-season game. Obviously, you'd like to be back in training camp, but more importantly the date is Oct. 7 for our first regular season game." --Patrick Kane

It looks like Patrick Kane's recovery following surgery on his wrist might take longer than anticipated.

Kane, who was given a six-to-eight week recovery period following surgery July 19 to repair a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist, told The Fan 590 in Toronto on Tuesday that he is targeting Chicago's regular-season opener on Oct. 7 against the Dallas Stars.

"With the wrist injury all, I've really been able to do is kind of skate by myself," Kane told the station. "Not really with full equipment on, just kind of been skating with one hand out there. You still have to skate. That's kind of part of our job in the summer is to get ourselves ready any way we can. That's what I'm doing right now. Usually at this time of year I'd probably be skating with some of the (Buffalo) Sabres, whether it's just playing shinny or regular four-on-four games, which are always pretty fun to kind of help you get ready for the season. That's what I'd usually be doing but this summer has been a little bit different."

McMURRAY, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Penguins may not fully know Sidney Crosby's health status until training camp begins, but they are encouraged with the star center 's recovery from a concussion, according to coach Dan Bylsma.

Bylsma said Tuesday while attending the team's annual charity golf tournament that he is "hoping" Crosby will be ready to go for the start of camp in mid-September.

"Sidney's progressed nicely this summer, he's had a long summer, he's worked out in June and July," Bylsma said. "We're hoping for Sidney to come back in and be ready to go for training camp. I know he's worked out more now than he has probably the last three summers."

Summer is almost over, and teams are just a couple of weeks away from putting down ice and opening training camps.

But with the opening faceoff of the 2011-12 season only about six weeks away, every team still has questions. Will that big rookie make an impact right away? Will the free agent signee fill the hole he was brought in to plug? Will the offense/defense/goaltending/special teams improve?

With that in mind, here's a look at the key question facing each team in the Eastern Conference:

Ryan Kesler remains optimistic he will be able to play in the Vancouver Canucks' season opener despite undergoing hip surgery only four weeks ago.

Kesler was given a time frame that included 10-12 weeks of rehab after he had the labrum in his hip repaired late last month. The Canucks open at home against Pittsburgh on Oct. 6.

"It's going good; small victories here and there," Kesler told Canucks TV from his hometown of Livonia, Mich. "I just got off my crutches and I'll start strengthening so everything is back to normal. I'll start skating here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully be back by that first game."

Dave Scatchard, a center who appeared in more than 650 games in 12 NHL seasons, announced his retirement Monday afternoon via his Twitter account.

A second-round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks (No. 42) in 1994, the 35-year-old is calling it quits after consulting with doctors. Scatchard, who has battled concussion problems in recent years, split last season between the St. Louis Blues and their AHL team in Peoria.

"After a long week of tests at the Mayo Clinic Dr.'s have advised me that playing hockey is not an option for me any longer. Wouldn't be safe," Scatchard said on his Twitter account.

Six years before the expansion Washington Capitals marked the arrival of professional hockey in the Washington, D.C., area, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was already introducing the sport of ice hockey to his two sons.

It was of no matter that there was only one local team his 10-year-old son John could play for, only one area hockey rink that could stage games and only one nearby store that sold the necessary equipment.

Recurring vertigo symptoms sidelined him for almost the entire final two months of the regular season. Hiller was forced to watch the playoffs as his fourth-seeded club was ousted in six games by the Nashville Predators.

Making things even more difficult, the doctors he saw didn't have a definitive answer as to what was causing his ailment or when it might clear up and allow him to resume his career.

Fast forward to Friday, and while Hiller still can't say exactly why the vertigo began, he does know he's been symptom-free for almost a month now and has been able to train both on and off the ice at home in Switzerland. For an Anaheim team still waiting to learn if star Teemu Selanne will return for the 2011-12 season, it's encouraging news for one of its most important players.

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I don't have a crystal ball. Predicting is a real complicated thing. If we stay healthy, have enough depth and get the good goaltending we think we're going to have, you can go all the way. But a lot of things have to happen. There's going to be a lot of teams that think the same thing. Everyone made deals. We're all are optimistic about where we'll end up.

— Rangers general manager Glen Sather after being asked if he's constructed a team that can win the Stanley Cup before their 4-1 win against the Predators on Monday